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Kavan – An Ambedkarite Opera – Nalanda Arts Studio & Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch – Festival

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Kavan – An Ambedkarite Opera – Nalanda Arts Studio & Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch at The Black Box, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Highway, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates events Festival The Black Box, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi

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The Black Box, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi

. An operatic satire, written and performed fully in poetry and songs about young Ambedkarite experiences Kavan encapsulates the rapidly changing India we see around ourselves – a country with mounting ambition, full of contradictions. Where do we go when the boundaries between right and wrong, sacred and profane, personal and universal, are blurred? In this environment, young Bejul and those around him navigate their dreams, desires, and dilemmas, while also negotiating the inherent inequality of India’s caste system. In Marathi, the word ‘ Kavan’ refers to the songs that poets of the resistance sing. These are poems meant to be performed and not read. Poems which bring forth the rights, trials, and tribulations of those who are marginalised and oppressed. Kavan is a story about Bejul, a young man who is depoliticised into submission, and his coming of age into a political poet. Along with those around him, he navigates his dreams, desires, and dilemmas, while also negotiating caste and class. The piece is set to multiple forms of music, including Shahiri folk music, a form of protest music from Maharashtra in India, folk music, electronic, rock, and rap. This Ambedkarite Opera is an invitation to examine ourselves as citizens, observers, and participants who are operating on a background of a large hegemonic order, in the world’s largest democracy, through the artistic practices of music, humour, satire, and collective storytelling. Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch was formed in 2015, inspired by Babasaheb Ambedkar’s vision of cultural reform preceding political change. Rooted in progressive movements across Maharashtra, the group uses Ambedkari Shahiri Jalsa to address caste based social oppression in marginalized communities. Yalgaar unites artists and activists on a common platform to strengthen cultural activism and promote a culture of non-violence, democracy, and humanism. Their plays blend storytelling, poetry, song, satire, improvisation, Babasaheb’s speeches, and collective lived experiences of the members. Active across Maharashtra and beyond, they aim to empower marginalized voices, promote inclusivity, and inspire change through art and collaboration. Kavan is their first foray into proscenium theater. Nalanda Arts Studio Nalanda Arts Studio is a Bangalore-based arts organization working on research, scholarship, training, and practice of performing and fine arts with a focus on collaborations between Asian, African, and Middle Eastern artists and communities. Kavan – An Ambedkarite Opera – Nalanda Arts Studio & Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch at The Black Box, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Highway, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates events Festival The Black Box, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi